THIS was overheard at the driving range at Liberty National yesterday, where the world’s best golfers were fine tuning their games for the start of The Barclays, the first tournament of the FedEx Cup playoffs:

“Have you played the course?” one golfer asked another.

“Not yet.”

“Well, this is the biggest cluster (bleep) I’ve ever seen for a golf course.”

Ouch!

Liberty National Golf Club makes its international debut this week as host of The Barclays. The course, designed by Tom Kite and Bob Cupp along the Hudson River shoreline near Jersey City, opened in 2006 with $500,000 membership fee and spectacular views of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline.

But don’t be surprised if the 124 golfers (Paul Casey withdrew yesterday) set to compete here this weekend aren’t exactly enthralled with the place. Once you get past the panoramic views and the state-of-the-art clubhouse, the tight fairways and sloping greens are sure to cause some grumbling from players who favor the more traditional look that Ridgewood Country Club offered last year.

“It’s tight,” said J.J. Henry, one of the early arrivals yesterday. “It’s got a nice mix of long holes and short holes, but it’s really tight.”

The layout will be 7,419 yards played at par 71, with three par 5s on the scorecard. I’ve played Liberty National twice in media events to promote the club and The Barclays, and the best hole is the 18th, which will be a tremendous par-4 508-yard finishing hole. But by then many of the players may be too miffed to appreciate it.

The greens could give them the biggest fits. Several have long, sloping run-off areas, and if the course plays firm, the greens will be tough to hold, turning good shots into disasters.

“The greens have a lot of tiers and slopes,” Henry said. “You’re going to see a lot of balls hit off the green.”

A frequent afternoon wind off the Hudson and the thick rough that borders many fairways could also make conditions difficult. Professional golfers can be temperamental, especially when they’re not familiar with a course and don’t play well. So you can expect the biggest complaints from those who miss the cut.

But the more educated player will appreciate what it took to create a tournament-worthy design out the eyesore the property once was. Much of the $129 million price tag was spent digging up, removing or covering up the 160 acres of mostly contaminated land. Decaying warehouses had to be torn down and the remains of abandoned oil refineries had to be encased and covered by new sand. Every tree, every bush, every contour was trucked in. It’s amazing grass can actually grow here.

Paved cart paths, rock-line streams and small waterfalls all offer an appealing look, and there’s no doubt the setting and panoramic views will be a hit with the television audience. But many of the golfers, getting their first taste of the place, may not be as impressed.

“It’s tougher than if we knew it,” said Padraig Harrington. “But everybody’s in the same standing. That’s why we’re here on a Monday.”

The bottom line is those who play well here will have good memories of Liberty National and those who don’t will be happy The Barclays will be moving on next year to an old-school layout like Plainfield Country Club in Edison, N.J.